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Evangel rolls to Division I state championship

Eagles four-year starter at quarterback finishes career on top with Division I victory against Scotlandville.

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Evangel quarterback Connor Curry (12) begins the scoring for the Eagles with a 1-yard touchdown plunge in the Division I state championship game against Scotlandville on Friday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.(Photo: Christi Hagedorn Johnson/Special to The Times)Buy Photo

NEW ORLEANS Someone offered to get Evangel assistant coach Phillip Deas a cup of coffee prior to Friday’s Division I state championship game inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

“A cup of coffee with a Red Bull, maybe,” Deas said.

The last of a quartet of “Select” school title games played Friday began 112 minutes late and lasted well into Saturday morning.

“It’s like the Battle on the Border,” said Eagles head coach Byron Dawson, referring to yearly three-day showcase known to feature action well past midnight at Shreveport’s Independence Stadium.

It may have -- literally -- taken two days, but the party was just as sweet in the wee hours of the morning. Evangel hadn’t won a state title in six years — double the length of any prior championship drought -- but made good on the matchup with Scotlandville.

Evangel’s four-year starting quarterback Connor Curry hooked up with good friend Tanner Ash for three touchdowns and rushed for another as the Eagles cruised to a 14th state title -- their first in Division I -- with a 38-6 victory.

“I told Connor that he’s been consistent and he's been disciplined,” Evangel head coach Byron Dawson said. “When you do those things greatness will catch you and greatness caught him.”

Curry finished 8 of 18 passing for 203 yards and the three scores to Ash en route to the Most Outstanding Player honor.

Evangel’s defense came up big in Friday’s portion of the title showdown with the Hornets. Two plays after cornerback Ardarius Washington had an interception nullified by a pass interference penalty, he hauled in another pick in the end zone.

Scotlandville’s second drive also ended with an Eagles interception (by Jarrick Bernard).

On the flip side, the Eagles didn’t collect their initial first down until the final play of the first quarter in a scoreless opening 12 minutes. Moving the chains sparked Evangel to an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped with a 1-yard sneak from Curry with 7:51 remaining in the half.

“I was missing guys that were open early,” said Curry, who was still speaking to the media after 1 a.m. “That’s on me. It wasn’t the late start. We were so juiced up, once you’re out there on the field (it doesn’t matter). It was different, but we love these kind of moments. We’ll remember this forever.”

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Evangel takes the field before the Division I state championship game against Scotlandville on Friday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.(Photo: Christi Hagedorn Johnson/Special to The Times)

Scotlandville committed a third turnover with a fumble deep in Evangel territory. The Eagles padded their lead with a 9-yard touchdown strike from Curry to Tanner Ash with 1:05 left in the half. Ash hauled in a 62-yard score early in the third quarter to make it 21-0.

Eagles running back Tamauge Sloan didn’t score, but cracked the century mark with 102 rushing yards.

Washington blocked a third-quarter punt and teammate Micah Baskerville returned the loose ball 16 yards for TD to give the Eagles a 31-0 lead.

Scotlandville erased its goose egg with a short touchdown run with 8:56 left in the game. Ash completed his trifecta with a 14-yard grab with 6:15 remaining. The senior found the end zone after all of his receptions Friday.

The announced crowd for Friday’s action was 15,719.

Prior to Friday’s finale, there was a moment of silence held in the memory of Joe McKnight, a former state champion at John Curtis. McKnight played at Evangel for three weeks following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and went on to play at USC and in the NFL.

McKnight was gunned down near New Orleans following an apparent road-rage incident Thursday afternoon.